The Art of Backpacking....

Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Ko Phangan, Thailand
As I now reside in the most fabulous Zen Bungalow on the beach of the island of Ko Phangan. I can not be more content, and am honest in saying, of all the cool places I have stayed at in all my travels...this has to be one of the very best.
But the journey to paradise and such solitude is not an easy one, but then again, if it was so easy to get such seclusion, than it would not be the Paradise that it still is . A long road is always part of the journey, and always more appreciated when you arrive.
I have not always been a backpacker, I blossomed late into this new way of life, of travel, and now I am hooked.
I cant imagine traveling to such remote destinations any other way now that it has become a passion, just as much as a different way in seeing the world. I'm not as young of course as the popular twenty something crowd , freshly graduated from college, eager to set out and see the world. But there are plenty of us in other age groups, and many much older than me!
I will always be young at heart, a gift that I required on my own, one that everyone has within themselves if they just never let it go.
As I fly stand-by to Koh Samui and actually get on the flight which is a miracle in itself, since the flight showed fully booked, so I'm thinking that my maybe releasing my little birds that day on that mountain back in Laos, will open up some good things to come my way.
I quickly see that on my flight, this is not the backpacking crowd. Most are dressed as if they are on their way to the golf course, but then again, maybe they are since Koh Samui has become quite the posh , modern island now, full of resorts, spas, and even golf courses. I also notice that all of these travelers have roller boards, HUGE Roller boards. I don't understand how one can travel to an island, a remote island, with a suitcase. Now, Koh Samui I can understand, you fly in, you get picked up, taken to your resort or hotel, and may never even have to lift that heavy suitcase yourself, thanks to the five star resorts that will do it all for you .
But then there's the other islands, the islands in which i long and search for , where having that suitcase is just plain ridiculous. Most remote islands, you must take a ferry, than a small long-tail boat and carry your bag ( yourself) over your head, thru the shallow water, since some of the boats can only go up so far to shore since only the bigger islands have a dock. Then once your on the shore, you must walk along the beach, thru the sand, to your bungalow resort, and some are reallyyyy far down on the beach. So you see where I'm going here with all of this, carrying your things in a bag on your bag, is freedom.
Then there is the backpack itself. Having limits on what you can bring with you, is enlightening. I am getting better at this every time I get away. Its challenging to test yourself on what you really need, and what you can live without for a while. Backpacking brings you to remote destinations where there are no TVs ( I heard that there was a big football game on the other day..;) Because isn't that why we want to get away in the first place? To escape from our every day life for a while, and just be.... be in the moment to experience something different, enjoy the simplicity of life and let in new memories and be a student of life for a while. It takes really letting go to have such learning experiences. Letting go of that suitcase, how much do you really need to enjoy peace and serenity? Not much more than a backpack can carry...Okay , back to the airport in Koh Samui .
Noticing right away as the only carousel in the baggage claim starts putting out the bags, that there are alot of suitcases, and when my backpack makes its way on the belt, still dirty from one of my long bus rides up north in Laos. I collect my backpack with pride and I'm off to find my way to the ferry to Ko Phangan. I soon find that the trusty Lonely Planet is not always up to date, in that there is only one afternoon ferry to Ko Phangan, at least this time of year.
I arrive after the short hour ride to the main, and only pier used this time of year, transferring to a taxi ( really a truck with benches in the back) to take me to the remote east coast, away from busy Hat Rin, known for its popular full moon parties, which I am not here during that time of the month for the full moon, but i soon learn, that there is a black moon party, a half moon party, always a party.
So I jump in the back of the truck , heading for Thong Nai Pan where I will attempt to get a bungalow at the Dolphin Resort, a place that I have heard about, that only takes walk ins, no reservations,,,,wow, this place must be special :)
The journey to the "other" side, takes 45 minutes, on a really rough road, impassable in rainy season, and even in the dry season like now, takes a 4 wheel drive truck going thru a jungle to get there. I am covered with dust and dirt from the rough journey when I arrive.
I couldn't get into the legendary Dolphin bungalows the first night, but they were nice enough to hold on for me for the next two nights . They were everything I heard they would be and more, sometimes you hear about a place, that is so amazing, and this is exactly it. The bungalows are the coolest wooden bungalows ( hate the concrete ones!) set in a beautiful flower filled garden with twinkly lights and candles, quiet zen music to make my friend Sara smile, and little raised platforms with low tables and cushions with beautiful carved decorations to provide the perfect place for my friend Maureen to relax and read, you two would just love it here!
So I find another bungalow for the first night down the beach, a place called Nice Bungalows which are " nice " for the night, set in a garden complete with concrete mushrooms decorating the path.
Even though this island is known for its parties, you wouldn't know it over here. Just beautiful white sand beaches with crystal clear water and lots of mellowness to make Jack Johnson proud. My days are spent with morning walks along the beach, afternoons lazing in the sun planning on where to have my next banana shake, and late afternoons lazing in my hammock.
My last night here i hang out with some nice Swedish guys who want to practice their English, and we head down the beach for a great fish barbecue and to watch some fire dancing on the beach under the star lit sky.
This island is going to be hard to leave, but I must pry myself from this wonderful place and venture to my next island Ko Tao, where I hear that some people love so much, that they NEVER leave...now this place I have to see.
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